What Do Christians Believe About Dinosaurs?

When Christians are asked by non-believers to reconcile dinosaurs and the account of creation in Genesis, many questions arise. Is the Bible silent about dinosaurs? Why are dinosaurs apparently never mentioned in scriptures? Did dinosaurs live before or during the time of Adam and Eve and mankind?

We should note that the word “dinosaur”, which means terrible lizard, is a relatively new word that was first used in 1842 and was coined by scientist Richard Owen. This is the reason that the word “dinosaur” doesn’t appear in the Bible which was written well before the 1800‘s.

What The Bible Says About Dinosaurs

Dinosaur-like Creatures Mentioned

In the Book of Job, dinosaur-like creatures are mentioned and so they appear to have existed at the same time that Adam and Eve and their descendants existed. Job is an ancient book. If this book were placed in its true chronological order in the Bible, it would reside within the Book of Genesis since Job lived over 4,000 years ago.

In Psalm 74:13 it says, “It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.” Isaiah 43:20 reads, “The beast of the field shall honor me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen” and he also writes about a monster (51:9).

Specifically, Are Dinosaurs in the Bible?

Job describes what sounds very much like a dinosaur. Read Job 40:15-24:

15 “Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly!
17 Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God, yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plants it lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it; it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes, or trap it and pierce its nose?”

Some of the translations say that the word “Behemoth” is an elephant or hippo, but there has never been a hippo or elephant that has a tail like a “cedar” (v 17) which is taken from the cedars of Lebanon. The cedars of Lebanon were valued above all timbers in ancient antiquity. They were 130 feet tall and their stout trunks could be over 8 feet in diameter. What elephant or hippo has a tail that size!? Many ancient dinosaurs were up to 150 feet in length like the Brachiosaurus.

Verse 19 says that this enormous creature ranked first in all of God’s works (v 19). Its size allows it to be unfazed by a “raging river” (v 23). It also appears to be irresistible even to humans or other animals that try to “trap it” (v 24).

Elsewhere, Job (41:1-34) describes a creature that inhabits the seas that some translations have mistakenly translated into the word whale. But any Bible with margins that gives the original translation of the word clearly indicates it is not a whale. What whale has razor sharp teeth like iron that can swallow its prey whole (v 14)? Has anyone ever seen a whale or fossil remains of a whale where the weapons of man cannot penetrate (v 26-29)? What whale can destroy its prey by simply passing over it (v 30) and has no fear whatsoever of anything (v 31-34)? In 2008 the Natural History Museum in Oslo, Norway revealed one of the largest dinosaur sea predators ever found. It is a Pliosaur Kronosaurus which is estimated to be over 50 feet long. The teeth that remain are still sharp enough to cut wood.

Dinosaurs, Fossilization and Extinction

There are hundreds of early British and French explorers and trappers and American explorers and settlers that wrote down reports of sightings of giant mastodon bones still lying on the ground. Many of the Indians they spoke with mentioned them as being in recent memory. The fact is that fossilization does not take millions of years since under the right conditions a bone, an old boot, and even wood can become filled with minerals fairly quickly. Necessary ingredients for fossilization, even in a few thousand years are these; a quick burial under very deep water or volcanic ash.

Consider the Great Flood of Noah’s time — this would have provided excellent conditions for fossilization of plants and animals. There would have been a rapid burial by millions of tons of water and sediment. The fact is that today there are many dinosaur remains that are still not completely turned in to rock and that have not been fossilized; millions of these have been found as bone. Even today they are finding fish fossils that still have a fishy smell to them. The flood may have been the reason that many of the dinosaurs died out. Even the sea creatures would have died since many of their prey could have perished in the flood.

Conclusion

The more we read the Bible, the more we find that dinosaurs are not inconsistent with the scriptures. They could have died from disease, the flood, or in some cases, hunted into extinction. Regardless, it is obvious that the dinosaurs did roam the earth at one time. It is also clear that the Bible makes mention of some creatures that fit their description. Therefore, Christians belief in the Bible and the knowledge of the existence of dinosaurs, are not incompatible. In fact, they are completely compatible with God being the Creator of all life; plants, animals, insects, and mankind.

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Jack Wellman is a father and grandfather and a Christian author, freelance writer, and Prison Minister. Graduate work at Moody Bible Institute. His books are inexpensive paperbacks that are theological in nature: “Teaching Children The Gospel/How to Raise Godly Children,“ “Do Babies Go To Heaven?/Why Does God Allow Suffering?,“ "The Great Omission; Reaching the Lost for Christ," and “Blind Chance or Intelligent Design?, Empirical Methodologies & the Bible."

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Very interesting posts. Amazing how much confusion Satan causes! Two comments: (1) Who can say how long a “day” is to the Eternal One True God? Surely, not a mortal man!
(2) The church founded by the holy Apostles of our Lord and God Jesus Christ is called the Orthodox Christian Church. In the year 1054 a.d. the ‘great schism’ occurred, and the Church split into East and West. The Eastern Church became known as the Orthodox Church and the Western Church was known as the Roman Catholic Church. They are not the same. All Protestant churches have since broken off from the Roman Catholic Church. It is history. Just look it up.
With respect. God bless all seekers. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God…”

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And we learn he created everything, then man and gave him dominion. Woman came from his ribs to be a helpmate. She let herself be tempted. The snake was cursed for it’s part and so were we from Eve’s transgression and Adam’s participation. Now I think that all of the creatures existed and they were given dominion…rule of them. Once they gave in and sinned breaking commandment; we came to be and many flounder around asking is this so? Or what can we find to either prove or disprove ( when not fighting among ourselves) what is true or what is imagined. Read your bibles. Then many years later Jesus took pity on us and loved us so much he choose to come to this place and be our savoir. He willed to suffer and die for our sins. It is now up to us to let our souls be delivered. Believe through faith and we will be delivered, not sure dinosaurs are included. Live right and one day ask the Lord if we get to walk with them again in the New Heaven. God Bless.

An email signature is a piece of customizable HTML or text that most email programs will allow you to add to all your outgoing emails. For example, it commonly contains name and contact details – but it could also (of course) contain a link to a gospel tract.

For example, it might say something like, “p.s. you might like this gospel cartoon …” or “p.s. have you seen this?”.

Worms make fools of Evolutionists!
When God created worms He designed them to create deep fertile topsoil to cover the earth to make it productive and give us something nice to walk upon!
Worms are the key to understanding that Earth is Young as Genesis says and The Flood was real.

Hi, I’m just a bit confused with the first part of this article. You say that the word dinosaur was created in the year 1842 and that the bible was created much later than 1842 when in fact it was created much earlier that the time that you state. Could you please explain?

Thank you Brinan for your comment. I never said that the Bible was created much later than 1842 but actually wrote that the word “dinosaur” doesn’t appear in the Bible which was written well before the 1800‘s.” Indeed, the Bible “was written well before the 1800’s” and to be precise, at least the New Testament, is about 2,000 years old…and that would make it “well before the 1800’s” and not “the Bible was created much later than 1842” which I never said. I still appreciate what you wrote. It shows you care about truth. I can certainly make mistakes, being only a man.

I always thought perhaps being that dinosaurs are reptiles, maybe they were cursed along with the serpent. All reptiles crawl on the floor. Like the curse God put on the serpent and all of its kind. Just makes sense for me. Snakes, lizards, and Gators all crawl on their bellies.

Dinosaurs came in at least two waves, with at least one mass extinction killing species before new species emerged – and then a final mass extinction which killed most of the final wave of dinosaurs (though not all,birds are the modern descendants of dinosaurs). There’s no evidence that humans coexisted with any of the waves of dinosaurs – or the animals and organisms that predated them – and, if we did, the terrifying experience of sharing a planet with creatures that are bigger than houses, and would literally shake the earth, would merit at least a few books – not simply one or two obscure, unclear mentions.

Dinosaurs came in at least two waves, with at least one mass extinction killing species before new species emerged – and then a final mass extinction which killed most of the final wave of dinosaurs (though not all). There’s no evidence that humans coexisted with any of the waves of dinosaurs – or the animals and organisms that predated them – and, if we did, the terrifying experience of sharing a planet with creatures that are bigger than houses, and would literally shake the earth, would merit at least a few books – not simply one or two obscure, unclear references.

You know what people do not realize, is that in the scriptures God has already foretold what had happened way back before He created Adam and Eve and this world that we live in.

It is written in the old testament as well the new testament, to why there in Genesis 1:2, water covered the whole earth, this is not the flood of Noahs, for Adam and Eve were not created as of yet, this being the first day of the week, that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

This has been very helpful. In my heart I knew it absolutely had to be the bohemuth but could not prove it by scripture. Sometimes you just know that you know but you don’t know how to explain. When that happens I have learned to ask the Holy Spirit to show me and He usually does in His own time. Thank you – He used you again.

Why would GOD use the word day if he didn’t mean an “Earth Day” it makes zero sense. Did GOD want to confuse us? The very definition of “Day” is based on the rotation of the Earth?? You seem to want to mold the mistakes of the writers of the old testament into something that works. Sorry.

This is very interesting but of course I have a question… What about the caveman that supposedly lived during the dinosaur time? I’ve seen documentaries where they’ve found skulls and skeletons of ancient -man-(for lack of a better word) much bigger than our skulls. Is there any truth to this or do I just lack the knowledge of any coinciding dates?

People today grow to be 7+ feet tall, and skull shapes vary somewhat between regionally separate ethnic groups. Throw in diseases that affect bone growth, and most of these folks would maybe merit a second glance as you pass them on the sidewalk in their suits and tie. Remember the account of Goliath being 9 feet tall, and his brothers were large also. In addition, many of the “skulls” they find are pieced together from a shard of bone and the desire to be the one to find the elusive “missing link”, and are later found to be hoaxes or mistakes. I’m looking at you Piltdown man. 🙂

I am Christian evolutionary biologist. I see no need to flounder around and try to explain dinosaurs or other issues that do not jive with bible, etc. By so doing we take our eyes off the prize. As Christians we should accept that we do not understand all that God does, but be grateful for what has been demonstrated and accept it with joy. We do not need to discredit, explain away or try to make ourselves feel better by forcing scripture or the interpretation thereof. It is perfectly fine to live with uncertainty (e.g., how God carried out every part of the creation) while embracing the certain (e.g., God lives and loves us). A focus on God, his gospel and our families is all we need to make it.

I am floundering around trying to explain dinosaurs in the Bible? Hundreds of Christians ask about this so we wrote this as part of the reason to give people for the hope that is within us and to be ready to give an answer, like for those who believe in evolution and not in the creation or Creator. Evolution has never been proven. God created Adam and Eve, not an amoeba to evolve into a human being. We do focus on God’s love on this site. Sorry you think it’s floundering. I don’t believe it is.

It’s still remains important to understand things of God event the things that are hidden that have to be revealed to the born again. This is because the devil who deceived the entire world, who is working against every plan of God upon your lives is still there and at work even after the Crucifixion.

Can someone provide answers why Jesus the who became flesh is part of the divine entity. Its only the devil who is still at work making sure you don’t understand the things of God. The Devil himself ensures that people don’t understand God. But glad the Holy Spirit is always there to make us know things hidden only if you have accepted Jesus Christ. only when you are Born Again

THANK YOU SETH. I AM GLAD THAT I AM NOT ALONE IN THINKING WHO CARES ABOUT THESE CREATURES. THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS JESUS AND HIM CRUCIFIED. JESUS IS ALL THAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AND THAT NO ONE GETS TO HEAVEN NO MATTER HOW GOOD OR NICE THEY WERE WITHOUT ACCEPTING JESUS AS GOD AND THAT HE DIED FOR OUR SINS

To me its irrelevant , I’m not sure if dinosaurs existed or not, I’m not sure if the carbon dating of fossils is accurate or not , what I’m sure of is that on augaust 14 of 2016 I had fell so far into alcoholism that I tried to take my own life , I prayed to jesus that he could save me from drinking and he did , I woke up the next day and have not wanted to drink or drug since, our god is a living and loving god .

I never have cared much, being happy to just accept that I don’t know nor need to know all the answers. However, my kids are now at the age in which they are asking questions about why they are learning things that don’t jive with what they learn at Sunday school/church. My middle schooler especially is very bright and has lots of questions. Love reading this article as well as the replies in forming my answers to help her understand our view.

I appreciate the article. This subject had troubled me for some time. This helps as a possible understanding. For those who are not interested, I say don’t bother reading it, but please don’t complain…many others seek a better understanding. Thank you!

I really appreciated this article. Wether or not I agree with every word of it I’m not sure. That’s the thing. I really don’t know so I can appreciate the open dialogue created with this article. I mean how can you knock someone for seeking a deeper knowledge. It’s relevant to some and not to others.
But the difference is when people make definitive claims saying it is Christian belief to say no this is incorrect and the correct Christian belief is so and so. I don’t think my belief or disbelief in dinosaurs defines my Christianity or affects my relationship with God. Thank you again

Jack, thanks for your work in this article. I’m really infrequent with this comment:
“There are hundreds of early British and French explorers and trappers and American explorers and settlers that wrote down reports of sightings of giant mastodon bones still lying on the ground. Many of the Indians they spoke with mentioned them as being in recent memory. ”

Could you provide me with some references to support the accounts of the explorers and settlers and Native Americans? I would love to dive into this.

Hello Galen. We have a former sea bed in Kansas and every few years or so, more of these Mastodon’s are discovered. There is a nearly full skeleton of on in our county courthouse and the museum across the street in Wellington, KS. These images are found everywhere too as they are documented. I have seen these old pictures with my own eyes, but seen the bones of the Mastodon’s in person, so that is more than documented. The old men at the courthouse said that there is a giant sort-of burial ground of many of them in the southern part of our county (Sumner). Come to Wellington and I’ll show you or look it up on the Internet. There are dozens and dozens of these Mastodon bones and skeletons spread around the Midwest and in Canada.

Thanks Jack. That was interesting reading. However, you have still not answered my question. I am interested in the sources you reference in this quote:

“There are hundreds of early British and French explorers and trappers and American explorers and settlers that wrote down reports of sightings of giant mastodon bones still lying on the ground. Many of the Indians they spoke with mentioned them as being in recent memory.”

I want to read the writings of the early British and French explores on this topic. Where do I find these?

Thanks Jack. I understand that there are lots of bones lying around. I was interested in sources for this information ““There are hundreds of early British and French explorers and trappers and American explorers and settlers that wrote down reports of sightings of giant mastodon bones still lying on the ground. Many of the Indians they spoke with mentioned them as being in recent memory.”

You reference written accounts. Can tell me where I might read these? That’s what I’m looking for.
Galen

Hello Mr. Hackman. One of the most famously strange scientific meals occurred on January 13, 1951, at the 47th Explorers Club Annual Dinner (ECAD) when members purportedly dined on frozen woolly mammoth [11–13]. The prehistoric meat was supposedly found on Akutan Island in Alaska, USA, by the eminent polar explorers Father Bernard Rosecrans Hubbard, “the Glacier Priest,” and Captain George Francis Kosco of the US Navy. This much-publicized meal captured the public’s imagination and became an enduring legend and source of pride for the Club.

Thanks Jack. That was interesting reading. However, you have still not answered my question. I am interested in the sources you reference in this quote:

“There are hundreds of early British and French explorers and trappers and American explorers and settlers that wrote down reports of sightings of giant mastodon bones still lying on the ground. Many of the Indians they spoke with mentioned them as being in recent memory.”

I want to read the writings of the early British and French explores on this topic. Where do I find these?

Hello Jack. God has not told us all of the purpose for the creation, although we know it is certainly created to glorify Him (Psalm 19:1-2), but other than that purpose, which is the greatest purpose (Psalm 115:1), that is all God has told us at this time, but these things will be known fully in the kingdom.

I agree with you, Creation is one of the ways we glorify God and like all scripture we learn more about the bible by studying it and bringing it together. You’re backing up your presentation with scripture , that’s what we’re suppose to do ! I currently am witnessing to a gentlemen who wants to know about God’s creation including dinosaurs and since scripture supports their existence it only gives the Bible more credibility. The fact of the matter is that ALL CREATION POINTS TO JESUS so it only makes sense that we explore and study it in the Bible. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17

Let me start by thanking the author, such articles as Christians challenges us to read more and helps us to understands the Almighty God. These creatures are said to have lived here on earth a long long time ago. I want at the same time come to believe that there was “LIFE” even before the time of Adam all being created by God. You know some of the articles Pastor Jack Wellman brings takes us back to same of the unresolved arguments in these platforms. In the bible, Genesis 1:2 describes the earth as being “without form, and void.” as was the beginning. I always argue Christians to allow the Holy Spirit to help us understand much about God because the natural and the carnal man alone can never understand these things. This is what may help us understand probably about the existence of other (life) beings before Adam was formed from the dust of the earth,-

That’s when I believe that the life of such animals as dinosaurs existed before the Genesis and Adman and Eve life.

Tee, if you believe dinosaurs and other life existed before Adam and went extinct, you are saying that death existed before sin came into the world. Romans 6:23 says “but the wages of sin is death” Death did not exist until Adam sinned and brought it upon mankind and the earth.
Did God not “rest” on the 7th day? Would God not be inconsistent in using a one-week timeframe for His creation but also cramming a large amount of time into the beginning?
Yes we must allow the Holy Spirit to help us understand God and His word but we must also be careful to test our thoughts and opinions. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

I do not understand why everyone believe that they are going to heaven. The Bible never mentions it. The kingdom that is in heaven will come down to Earth. Jesus taught his disciples to pray: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. THY KINGDOM COME. In revelation it states that the new Jerusalem will be the abode of God the Father with His children. Where on the new Earth. Jesus will take us to where he is and that will be on the new Earth. We will have a lot of things to do as God’s Children and with Christ our First brother. The Creation (universe) is waiting in anticipation for the Children of God to start over. This current Earth is only our training ground. The universe is still sleeping after the fall waiting for God’s children to wake it up. Don’t think you are going to play on harps and do nothing. we will praise God and help beautify the heavens (universe)

Hello Mr. Kays. Not everyone thinks that. We don’t. We know that the New Jerusalem descends out of heaven and down to earth, and we’ll rule with (but under) Christ here on earth, so not everyone says they are going to heaven…but the kingdom of heaven, yes. Its true…no harp playing and floating on clouds, but the Bible says we’ll be kings and priests, some over 5 cities, some over 10, and so on, so you’re right, except the fact that everyone doesn’t believe they’re going to heaven. Many understand Rev 21 is what is reality.

What I have come to realize: “evolution” (dinosaurs, prehistoric humans, etc.) is a satanically-inspired and propagated deception, as is the Big Bang, the globe earth, extraterrestrials, and (yes) organized religion. All designed by the master of deception to hide what is, in reality, very simple: our Heavenly Father created the earth and placed us on it to love Him, and to love each other. His son is the covenant, the means by which we will have eternal life in Him. The rest is a massive web spun by satan to separate us from our Creator and draw our attention elsewhere. We were warned of the extent of his deception! Let’s face it, one of satan’s favorite tools is Scientism and he has used it very masterfully to make us believe that it’s all a complicated 1,000 piece puzzle and that we need his tricks to unlock the “enlightened” answer to fitting the pieces together. In reality, there is no puzzle. God is infinite but he does not overcomplicate for effect or trick us. Here’s my test: I ask myself, “Does it seem like there are just too many pieces to fit together? Too many things to resolve (like how dinosaurs or cave men fit into the Bible or how the earth formed in such a vast galaxy)? Do you have to stretch too far beyond common sense to understand it?” Well, then, it’s probably not of God, the Creator. It’s part of the deception.

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